Chapter 138: The Bait in the Storm
The sky over East Marrow had turned the color of bruised steel, heavy with the promise of another storm. The upper atmosphere’s magnetic interference was spiking, throwing off long-range scans and drone navigation. For Apex Holdings, this was an inconvenience. For Lin Feng, it was an opportunity.
He stood in the southern command balcony, hands resting on the cold railing, watching streaks of lightning flash through the distant skyline. Below, the city churned with muted chaos—markets closing early, freight convoys rerouting, patrols doubling their watch. Nature had done what no corporate decree could: slow the city to a crawl.
Perfect cover for what came next.
Keller’s theft of the encryption core was both a loss and a gain. The files were genuine, but laced with false threads—carefully designed to lead him toward one location: Black Spire, a remote data relay station on the city’s perimeter. On paper, it was just an aging relay hub, long overdue for decommission. In truth, Apex had converted it into a multi-layer security maze years ago.
Ren Yan joined Lin at the balcony. "Storm intensity’s peaking in six hours. That’s when he’ll move. No drones in the air, no long-range overwatch. He’ll think it’s the perfect window."
"It is," Lin said quietly. "Just not for him."
The Black Spire stood like a jagged fang against the horizon, its obsidian frame cutting into the roiling clouds above. Inside, Jiang Mei oversaw final preparations, her tone clipped as she barked orders into the comms.
"All exterior doors sealed except west entry. Internal turrets on standby—don’t engage until I say. Traps at grid sections B2 and C7 are active, but keep corridor G3 clear. That’s his funnel."
Zhao Yinuo leaned against a console, watching the real-time map. "If Keller’s half as sharp as you say, he’ll smell the bait the second he steps inside."
"He will," Jiang Mei admitted, "but curiosity is his flaw. He won’t turn back until he’s seen what’s inside."
Lin arrived on-site an hour before the storm hit full force. The Black Spire’s interior was eerily silent—thick walls absorbing sound until even footsteps felt muffled. He walked the length of corridor G3, fingers brushing against the cold, smooth steel. Every angle was calculated. Every inch of this place was designed for control.
By the time the first thunderclap shook the walls, Lin was in the observation room, the storm’s interference already chewing through half the external feeds.